The last leg of the Mekong ride in Cambodia is the most difficult and adventurous. There is no scheduled public service from Stung Treng to the border with Laos, just after Kaoh Nang island. In fact, until very recently this border post was not officially open at all except to Lao and Cambodian nationals, though stories abound that anyone willing to fork out the necessary tips would be let through.
Showing posts with label Laos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laos. Show all posts
16 August 2002
9. - 16 AUG: Border crossing into Laos, dolphins, Dong Khong
07 August 2002
Itinerary of trip to Cambodia and Laos, along the Mekong, 8-30 August 2002
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A journey to Cambodia and Laos, along the Mekong, 8-30 August 2002
Click on an Itinerary or a date to go to the post for that day
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Day
|
Date
|
Itinerary
|
Night
|
Km
|
hrs
|
1
|
In the air
|
0
|
0
| ||
2
|
Siem Reap
|
0
|
0
| ||
3
|
Siem Reap
|
20
|
1
| ||
4
|
Siem Reap
|
50
|
2
| ||
5
|
Phnom Penh
|
270
|
6
| ||
6
|
Phnom Penh
|
50
|
3
| ||
7
|
Sambok
|
150
|
6
| ||
8
|
Stung Treng
|
130
|
5
| ||
9
|
Muang Khong
|
35
|
2
| ||
10
|
Pakse
|
130
|
2
| ||
11
|
Vientiane
|
0
|
0
| ||
12
|
Luang Prabang
|
0
|
0
| ||
13
|
Luang Prabang
|
0
|
0
| ||
14
|
Luang Prabang
|
0
|
0
| ||
15
|
Nong Kiaw (Muang Ngoy)
|
130
|
8
| ||
16
|
Muang Khua
|
70
|
6
| ||
17
|
Udom Xai
|
135
|
5
| ||
18
|
Muang Sing
|
210
|
7
| ||
19
|
Muang Sing
|
trek
|
8
| ||
20
|
Luang Namtha
|
70
|
3
| ||
21
|
Luang Prabang
|
250
|
7
| ||
22
|
Bangkok
|
0
|
0
| ||
23
|
Bangkok
|
0
|
0
| ||
TOTAL
|
1,700
|
71
|
Location:
Indochina
18 July 2002
Book Review: River's Tale, A year on the Mekong (2003, by Edward A. Gargan, *****
Synopsis
From windswept plateaus to the South China Sea, the Mekong flows for three thousand miles, snaking its way through Southeast Asia. Long fascinated with this part of the world, former New York Times correspondent Edward Gargan embarked on an ambitious exploration of the Mekong and those living within its watershed. The River’s Tale is a rare and profound book that delivers more than a correspondent’s account of a place. It is a seminal examination of the Mekong and its people, a testament to the their struggles, their defeats and their victories.
From windswept plateaus to the South China Sea, the Mekong flows for three thousand miles, snaking its way through Southeast Asia. Long fascinated with this part of the world, former New York Times correspondent Edward Gargan embarked on an ambitious exploration of the Mekong and those living within its watershed. The River’s Tale is a rare and profound book that delivers more than a correspondent’s account of a place. It is a seminal examination of the Mekong and its people, a testament to the their struggles, their defeats and their victories.
Location:
Mekong
15 July 2002
Book Review: River of Time, by Jon Swain, *****
Synopsis
Between 1970 and 1975 Jon Swain, the English journalist portrayed in David Puttnam's film, "The Killing Fields", lived in the lands of the Mekong river. This is his account of those years, and the way in which the tumultuous events affected his perceptions of life and death as Europe never could. He also describes the beauty of the Mekong landscape - the villages along its banks, surrounded by mangoes, bananas and coconuts, and the exquisite women, the odours of opium, and the region's other face - that of violence and corruption.
He was in Phnom Penh just before the fall of the city to the Khmer Rouge in April 1975. He was captured and was going to be executed. His life was saved by Dith Pran, the New York Times interpreter, a story told by the film The Killing Fields. In Indo-China Swain formed a passionate love affair with a French-Vietnamese girl. The demands of a war correspondent ran roughshod over his personal life and the relationship ended.
Between 1970 and 1975 Jon Swain, the English journalist portrayed in David Puttnam's film, "The Killing Fields", lived in the lands of the Mekong river. This is his account of those years, and the way in which the tumultuous events affected his perceptions of life and death as Europe never could. He also describes the beauty of the Mekong landscape - the villages along its banks, surrounded by mangoes, bananas and coconuts, and the exquisite women, the odours of opium, and the region's other face - that of violence and corruption.
He was in Phnom Penh just before the fall of the city to the Khmer Rouge in April 1975. He was captured and was going to be executed. His life was saved by Dith Pran, the New York Times interpreter, a story told by the film The Killing Fields. In Indo-China Swain formed a passionate love affair with a French-Vietnamese girl. The demands of a war correspondent ran roughshod over his personal life and the relationship ended.
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